Ukraine says ready to work with Baltic states, Finland on airspace security after drone incidents

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Sunday reaffirmed Kyiv’s willingness to cooperate with the Baltic states and Finland to help protect allied airspace following recent drone incidents involving Latvia.

Sybiha said he discussed the incidents with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze.

“The investigations proved that this was the result of Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia,” Sybiha wrote on the US social media platform X.

He said Ukraine’s goal is to ensure “maximum safety” for Latvia, the other Baltic states and Finland.

On May 7, Latvia lodged a formal protest with Russia after several drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia, according to Latvia’s Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said it summoned the Russian Embassy’s chargé d’affaires to deliver a protest note over the incident, which involved drones entering the eastern Latvian municipalities of Rezekne, Balvi, and Ludza.

Russia described the incident as “an attempted Ukrainian terrorist attack on civilian infrastructure” near St. Petersburg involving drones launched from the direction of Latvian airspace.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems detected six drones during the incident and also identified French-made Dassault Rafale and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets over Latvia.

The ministry further said a Ukrainian-made An-196 Lyutyy drone entered Russian airspace and was shot down near Pskov.